TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – On Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office announced that he received eight new bills awaiting his signature.
The news comes just days after he officially signed four other bills into law, three of which are set to take effect later this year.
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DeSantis has a week to decide whether to sign or veto these bills. He also has the option to simply not sign them, allowing them to become law without his signature.
Regardless, the eight bills up for his consideration are as follows:
HB 157 — Service of Process
House Bill 157 seeks to amend state statutes regarding registered agents of corporations.
The bill would expand the hours during which registered agents are required to keep a designated registered office open to receive potential legal documents. In all, these offices would have to be open an additional two hours each weekday.
In addition, legal documents under this bill could be left with an employee instead of the registered agent if the agent isn’t present.
If approved, the bill will take effect immediately.
HB 479 — Leaving the Scene of a Crash
House Bill 479 would allow a court to order drivers who fled the scene of a crash after striking property to make restitution to the property’s owner.
If approved, the bill will take effect on Oct. 1.
HB 597 — Diabetes Management
House Bill 597 allows schools to request prescriptions for glucagon from a county health department or healthcare practitioner to treat students with diabetes.
If approved, the bill will take effect on July 1.
HB 615 — Electronic Notice to Tenants
House Bill 615 would allow landlords to deliver notices to tenants electronically if both parties agree to the method.
Under this bill, both tenants and landlords would be allowed to revoke such an agreement simply by providing written notice to the other party.
If approved, the bill will take effect on July 1.
HB 791 — Surrendered Infants
House Bill 791 would allow certain hospitals and fire stations to use “infant safety devices” to accept surrendered infants.
Under this bill, such a device would have to be equipped with a surveillance system to monitor the device 24 hours a day.
If approved, the bill will take effect on July 1.
HB 1173 — Florida Trust Code
House Bill 1173 aims to amend the Florida Trust Code, which governs the creation and operation of trusts in the state.
More specifically, the bill would limit the “special interest exception” for charitable trust enforcement by giving the Attorney General exclusive authority to assert the rights of a qualified beneficiary.
If approved, the bill will take effect immediately.
HB 1195 — Fentanyl Testing
House Bill 1195 — dubbed “Gage’s Law” — would require hospitals conducting urine tests for possible drug overdoses to test for fentanyl.
The bill is named for Gage Taylor, who died of an overdose in 2022 after taking a drug he didn’t realize was laced with fentanyl. At the time, the hospital didn’t test for the drug.
As a result, law enforcement agents were initially unable to charge Taylor’s suspected drug dealer.
If approved, the bill will take effect on July 1.
HB 7003 — Financial Technology Sandbox
House Bill 7003 aims to remove the scheduled repeal date of a public records exemption under state law.
This exemption applies to sensitive business information held by the state for Financial Technology Sandbox applications.
The exemption is set to be automatically repealed per the Open Government Sunset Review Act on Oct. 2, though this bill would prevent that from happening.
If approved, the bill will take effect on Oct. 1.